MIND Blog Rewind: December 2019

Each month on the MIND blog, we share stories of how our organization, our partners, and educators across the country are advancing the mission to mathematically equip all students to solve the world’s most challenging problems. We also share resources for educators and students, and cover some of the exciting events we take part in across the country.

Welcome to the MIND Blog Rewind! December is coming to a close and along with it, 2019. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the roaring 20's. Let's kick off the new year with gratitude and celebration for what we achieved together. Here is a recap of important news, content, and resources that came out of MIND and our community in December 2019.

Winter break is here but learning never stops! With your help, ST Math is reaching more students than ever. We are so thankful to our partners, donors, and ST Math champions for being a critical part of MIND's mission. We shared our annual digital holiday card and rounded up our favorite ways to celebrate the holidays with the Winter Break Challenge, holiday coloring sheets, and winter STEAM activities.

We may be at the end of the year, but how did we get here? We kicked off the holiday season with a gratitude tree in our Irvine office. Colleagues throughout the organization were encouraged to take a moment and reflect on what they were thankful for. I was excited to hear what my MIND family held in their hearts, but with how busy everyone was, I wasn't sure what would happen. Our gratitude tree bloomed in the most incredible way with the love and care of everyone.

What's wrong with memorizing? Jo Garrett, CFO at MIND, answered this question and shared her own experiences on the way children are being taught math today. Parents are a core part of student learning ecosystems and embracing the way that your child is learning math is a great way to support them.

What is spatial-temporal reasoning? How exactly does it work? Research shows that a visual approach to conveying math concepts can be highly effective. Ki Karou, Director of Product, ST Math, shared the science of spatial-temporal reasoning and how we can use spatial-temporal methods to teach mathematics.

Our website is chock full of great resources for parents like blog posts, posters, and an ST Math Parent Kit. Liz Neiman, VP of Engagement at MIND, is also an ST Math parent. In the past, she shared her first experience with ST Math and how it provided a challenge for her gifted son. This December, she answered many of the questions parents have when they begin using our program for the first time. Check out our new blog post called, "So Your Child is New to ST Math...Now What?"

In our latest podcast episode, EVP and Executive Director of Social Impact, Karin Wu, back to the show. Karin discussed her recent feature in STEMConnector’s Million Women Mentors: Leaders to Learn From series and recapped her recent tour across country with our donors and strategic partners, like John Deere, Phillips 66, Rockwell Automation, the One8 Foundation, and more.

Kelsey Skaggs, our Public Relations and Communications Specialist, has lived in Texas for over two years now. Inspired by her state and the educational leaders she admires within, she compiled a helpful list of 20 Texas education leaders to follow on Twitter. From breaking news to helpful resources, these leading voices in education will inform and inspire you.

Thank you for a great 2019! Here’s to 2020.

And with that, we're signing off for the final time this year. In 2019, we made a lot of amazing things happen together with the help and support of our incredible partners, teachers, administrators, students, and ST Math parents. Thank you for everything!